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The Preetz Paper Theater Event |
The event is publicly supported by the district of Schleswig-Holstein, the region Plön, and the town of Preetz and by private selectors and sponsors.
There were theaters from Denmark, Sweden, England, Holland, France and Germany shown. Over 1000 participants young and old, performers, collectors, and paper theater enthusiasts took part in the event.
The offerings were highly varied in genre and style of performance.
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What is Paper Theater? |
At the beginning of the 19th century European art printers began publishing theater prosceniums. These were inspired by the "legitimate theater." On historic figure sheets we can even recognize the faces of famous actors of the time. It is apparent that the first paper theater productions tried to copy actual theater productions. The paper theater soon found its own independent publishing format and spread rapidly throughout Europe. The first complete paper theater production with sets, figures, and script appeared in 1811 in England. About ten years later the first prosceniums appeared from German publishers, followed by publishers in Austria, Spain, France, and Denmark.
After the First World War the interest stagnated, until in the 60's the charm and magic of paper theaters was revived and the practitioners of this century-old hobby prevailed world-wide.
Today there are many places in Europe where paper theater is actively performed. In Germany and Denmark there are guilds engaged in the abundant possibilities of this medium.
In this hectic time, with computers and electronics playing an ever greater role in our culture, for many of us the paper theater is a welcome relief from stress and a way to set free our dramatic capabilities.
The annual paper theater event in Preetz shows clearly that thousands
are inspired by this nostalgia and creativity. They understand that
this old European tradition is worth keeping alive.
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Tiny Theatre, but Huge Repertoire |
Big names and their works are included, for example:
From the world of music, Orff, Prokofiew, Mozart, Weber, Bizet,
Humperdinck.
From literature, Schiller, Goethe, Andersen, Singer, Storm,
Verne, Saint-Exupéry.
Especially well represented were:
The Magic Flute, Peter and the Wolf, The Flying Dutchman, Orpheus
in the Underworld.
Along with old favorites such as:
Fisch zu Viert, The Red Balloon, The Courier of the Czar, Hänsel
and Gretel, German Ballads, The Fellow Traveler, The Miller
and his Men, and other internationally known fables and stories.
The presentations were in German, Danish, English, Swedish or French as well in German dialects.
And this is only an example of the diversity of Tiny Theater Programs.
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| Further Contacts for Paper Theater Enthusiasts: | |||
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